Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-09-28
DAILY HERALD.
Profit I'm Peaches.

Profit I'm Peaches.
We confess to firm belief in the
profitableness of peach-growing. 1t is
true that the experience of many does
not Justify this belief. We have had
an experience which qualities us to
speak of the mistakes made by many
pioneers in the business. And yet
certain things are so we'll demonstrat-
ed that we speak with positiveness
when we assert that under the requi-
site conditions and with right varieties
the peach should stand below very
few horticultural products in the profit
it will bring when intelligently and
shrewdly handled. We are aware
that this is not the general impression
of its value, but we will venture to
predict that before many years it will
be.
The pioneer who planted his seed
ling tree on the adobe soil where, half
irrigated iand little cultivated, it
yielded it's small and acrid fruit, to be
dried unpeeled in the sun, made in
favorable years from local demand fair
returns for his labor and investment.
But when increased productions forced
it to seek a more fastidious market at
distant points, it was only in years of
fruit scarcity that satisfactory pay was
obtained.
But now no ordinary dried fruit will
find sale. The trade discriminates in
favor of that which is "gilt edge" and
readily pays fancy price for it. 1t is
80 with raisins cured and put up as
they were ten years ago, they would
hardly pay to handle. Almost any
one may grow grapes successfully if
soil and climate are congenial; but it
is trade to we'll and economically
cure them; and after this they will
take second rank, if the packer is not
an artist as well as a man of system.
1t is even truer of peaches than of
raisins, that their success in the mar
ket depends upon the skill of the man
who cures and packs them. True the
variety, the soil and the climatic con-
ditions must be right. No sweet and
high-favored peach can grow in un-
favorable soil nor in damp and humid |
air. And variety must be planted
which experience has demonstrated
can be made to grow of fairly uniform
size and with regularity year by year.
We are not considering the wants of
the Gamer, who now will only make |
use of clingstones and whose demands
are disheartingly irregular. After all
it is the man who is Independent of |
him who is the most fortunate in the |
long run.
We will not attempt to indicate va
rieties that are desirable, although the
Salway, Smock's Late, Reeves Late
Red, and varieties such as these that
run of uniform size, not watery, and
which look high-colored when dried.
There has been much nonsense writ
ten by newspaper horticulturists con-
demning the use of sulphur in drying.
But we infer they do not under
stand our methods, and have in mind
the old-fashioned idea of bleaching
with sulphur after drying, which OF
course must inevitably leave the fruit
in condition dangerous for use. AS
sulphur is used in this country, in the
smallest possible quantity immedi-
ately after cutting, the slight fumes
serving to scar the cut surface 30 that
no oxidation tales place and the fruit
comes from the drying as fresh and
bright as when cut, there is no possi-
bility of injurious effect upon the most
delicate. With this preparatory treat
ment fruit is prepared which, sun
dried, will compare in appearance and
quality and bring very nearly the
same price as the finest evaporated.
There are growers here, however,
who make use of artificial dryers, and
the fruit they send to the eastern mar
kets is fancy and always commands
fancy prices.
The agent of Geo. w. Meade & Co.
informed us the other day that some
of the peach growers whose fruit and
methods were superior, had this sea-
son netted figures only less than that
which the orange growers were likely
to obtain. Mr.. Aplin, whose reputa-
ton is second to none for fine and
we'll packed fruit, received this season
$4,000 for peaches sold. Mr.. N. B.
Hicks, of Old San Bernardino, sold his
crop for $4,000, and Mrs. p. H. Caring
ton of Santa Monica, did equally well.
Messrs. r. F. Cunningham, H. B.
Muscott and others whom we might |
name also find satisfactory profits in |
the business. Mr.. Cunningham's |
fancy packed fruit sold for % cents,
and he says that his Salway and
Smock orchards net him 10 per cent.
on $1,000 an acre valuation. These |
gentlemen who have been SO successful, |
however, grow only the choice varie- |
ties and have soil and climate the
very best for the purpose.-[San Ber-